Fairy Tail Bistro
by TakeMeToW0nderland
Summary: Modern AU. Levy and Lucy are childhood best friends who move to Magnolia City to attend university. In order to make ends meet, the girls get part time jobs at local restaurant, Fairy Tail Bistro. Main pairing is Levy x Gajeel but will include others. Possibles are Nalu, Gralu, or Lolu. Haven't decided yet. Will contain eventual smut, but it's a slow burn.
1. Fairy Tail Bistro

Chapter 1

Levy and Lucy had wanted to attend Magnolia University since their freshman year of high school and were finally making it a reality. Despite the stress of moving to a new city, the girls couldn't wipe the smiles from their faces as they unloaded boxes and various furniture from the moving truck. They'd found a great place that was only a ten minute drive to school and was close to the subway, giving them easy access to all the excitement Magnolia City had to offer.

While they'd both been exceptional students, their scholarships hadn't covered much more than their tuition and books. Lucy's parents had paid their moving expenses and they'd had enough left from their scholarships and student loans to pay the deposit and first month's rent on their apartment.

"Phew!" Lucy groaned, plopping herself down on their second hand couch that was still sitting on the curb outside. The movers were currently working to get Levy's bed through the narrow entrance and up the stairs, so the girls decided to take a break while the doorway was blocked. Levy settled herself next to her best friend, wiping the sweat from her forehead with her arm.

"I know we should enjoy the warmth while we have it," Levy started, "But man, I wish it was Autumn already." Lucy nodded, taking a swig from her water bottle before passing it to Levy, who drank happily. Levy stretched and finally took the moment to enjoy her surroundings. Their place was right across from the river, the waters shining a bluish green in the August afternoon. School would start in two weeks, giving them time to settle in. Levy's smile returned to her face as she watched a few boats go by. She felt Lucy squeeze her arm and looked up to see her friend smiling too.

"We did it, Levy, we're finally here," Lucy gushed. Levy's smile never faltered.

"We'll have to find jobs soon if we wanna keep this place," she reminded her friend.

"It shouldn't be too hard. We have good references from our old jobs," Lucy said with optimism. Lucy had come from a wealthy family, but her mother and father had worked their entire lives for their fortune. They wanted Lucy to remain humble despite their wealth, enrolling her in public school, where she'd met Levy in the first grade. They'd also encouraged her to get a job to help teach her responsibility. While Levy had gotten a job out of necessity, she'd never held it against her best friend. They'd found a job together, like they did everything, working at a chain restaurant in their home town, first as hostesses before moving up to servers. The work was hard and fast paced, but they enjoyed it, and they made a lot more money waiting tables than they would making minimum wage at a retail store.

They sighed as the movers returned through the door, knowing their break was over. They returned to work, helping the two men carry in all their belongings. They finished around mid-afternoon and thanked the movers, tipping them before saying goodbye.

Levy smiled as she looked around her new bedroom across the hall from Lucy's. Her favorite part of the entire apartment was the built in bookshelves that framed her closet. They fitted the entire wall from ceiling to floor, giving her plenty of room for her collection. Half of the boxes that filled her floor were stuffed with books from every genre; science fiction, to horror, to romance. She even had text books on nearly every subject. She began unpacking her beloved library before anything else.

Levy had been working on organizing her bookshelves for nearly an hour when she heard Lucy whining from her doorway.

"Leevvvyyy-chaaaan," Lucy cried, apparently having been trying to get her attention for some time now. Levy looked up at her friend from her spot on the floor, blinking behind red framed glasses.

"What Lu-chan?" she asked, pulling her reading glasses from her face.

"Aren't you hungry? I'm starved!" Lucy exaggerated. As soon as Lucy mentioned food, Levy's stomach growled loudly. The girls burst into fits of laughter. She often got lost in concentration when it came to her books, forgetting the basic life necessities.

"Let's go downtown and look for a place to eat," Lucy suggested excitedly.

"Shouldn't we save that for tomorrow? We ought to just get something quick so we can get all of our stuff unpacked," Levy reasoned, "I don't want to live out of boxes any longer than I have to." Lucy pouted, but knew her best friend was right.

"Fiiiiine!" she said, sticking out her tongue after, "Is pizza okay? I'm sure I can find a place to order from online." Levy gave her friend a smile and nodded.

"Sounds perfect," she answered, "Let's get as much done as possible and I promise we'll go explore tomorrow." Lucy just stuck out her tongue again playfully before going to search for her laptop, leaving a chuckling Levy alone with her books again. The girls managed to finish unpacking their rooms completely that night and were exhausted for it.

"Jeez, when did it get so late?" Lucy asked with a yawn. Levy replied with a yawn of her own and shrug as she and Lucy both collapsed onto her bed.

"Lucy?" Levy asked, eyes closed, nearly passed out.

"Hmm?" was the all the reply Lucy could muster.

"Thanks for being my best friend," Levy said, smiling through her exhaustion, eyes still closed. A smile found Lucy's face too.

"I'm glad we did this together," Lucy agreed. The girls fell asleep next to each other moments later.

They spent the weekend days unpacking and organizing their furniture, and the evenings exploring their new city. They decided on Monday they would start the job search, knowing they'd have everything organized by then. Levy researched restaurants on her laptop and wrote down their name, address, and phone number in a new notebook Sunday night. Packing the notebook in her messenger bag, the girls hit the pavement Monday afternoon during the lull in the day between lunch and dinner when the restaurants wouldn't be too busy to talk to them.

They rode the subway into the city center where all the towering skyscrapers and busiest streets were. Being in the heart of the city, the restaurants here would be busiest and most profitable. An hour and a half later, Levy was pulling off her white blazer that covered her light orange blouse as the blistering heat made it unbearable. Lucy was unbuttoning the top few buttons of her baby blue dress shirt as well as they walked back towards the subway that would take them home. Levy wished she'd worn a shirt she could unbutton as well. Instead she wore a loose fitting blouse with a baby doll collar with a small bow.

"Well, no one hired us on the spot like they did back home, but we got our names out there, so maybe we'll hear back from someone soon," Lucy said, waving her hand in front of her face in an attempt to fan herself.

"We'll try the shopping district near the apartment tomorrow. We might have better luck with some of the smaller businesses," Levy said optimistically. Lucy nodded. It seemed the main issue the managers they spoke to had was that the girls came from a relatively small town that just couldn't see the amount of clientele the big city would, especially downtown. Maybe the restaurants along the outskirts would see better potential in them.

The girls let out sighs of relief as they entered the cool underground station, the air cooling several degrees as they stepped out of the blazing sun. Levy couldn't wait to be out of her slacks.

"The next one is our stop, right?" Lucy questioned, still not accustomed to the train layout. Levy sleepily looked up at the signs and nodded that it was. It wasn't until the girls walked up the stairs leading back outside that they realized they'd been wrong.

"Darn, I think we got off one too soon," Levy groaned. Lucy let out an exasperated sigh.

"Well, why don't we grab something to eat since we're over here? Going into all those restaurants and not eating has given me an appetite," Levy said as she noticed the shops and bistros around them, something in the air smelling particularly good.

"How about that one there on the corner?" Lucy said, pointing to a place with an outside patio and welcoming open double doors. A pretty woman with long white blonde hair partially held back with a ribbon was just outside sweeping the front walkway. Levy agreed and the girls perked up at the prospect of good food and drinks.

_Fairy Tail Bistro_, Levy read the sign to herself, _What an odd name_. Lucy suddenly gripped her arm roughly and inhaled sharply, stopping Levy in her tracks.

"Look, Levy-chan!" Lucy exclaimed, pointing to the sign in the establishment's window.

**NOW HIRING EXPERIENCED SERVERS. INQUIRE WITHIN.** The sign read in large black letters. Levy quickly pulled her blazer back on as Lucy buttoned her blouse and smoothed it down, returning themselves to business appropriate states.

The girls made the rest of the way to the restaurant. The woman outside turned as they approached, a huge smile splayed on her face, lighting up her bright blue eyes.

"Good afternoon!" she beamed sweetly, "Table for two?" The girls couldn't help but smile back.

"Well, actually, we saw the sign in your window," Levy started.

"Are you still looking for servers?" Lucy asked. The girl gasped happily and clapped her hands together excitedly, holding the broom in the crook of her arm.

"Yes we are!" she said with enthusiasm and extender out her hand to them, "I'm Mirajane," The girls took turns shaking hands and introducing themselves.

"Come in! Come in! Makarov will be happy to interview you, he's the owner," she told them, waving them into the quaint eatery. Compared to the restaurants they saw earlier in the day, it was a bit small, but the place was very clean and homey. The tables were a light wood with matching chairs and each had a little vase with white flowers in them next to small blue salt and pepper shakers. Blue see-through valences topped all the windows and there was one over the doorway that led to the patio seating area as well.

The reception area was bright and welcoming, with light woods and comfortable looking booths along the sides for when the restaurant went on a wait. To the left of the waiting area was a good sized cocktail area with a large rectangular bar made of the same pale yellow wood as the tables in the center, high tops outlining the area. A petite young girl who couldn't have been more than sixteen, but wasn't much shorter than Levy, stood behind the host podium wearing a pale green dress that went to her knees, white stockings, and a white wrap hanging from her shoulders. Her long, dark blue hair was pulled up into pigtails on either side of her head with green flower barrettes that matched her dress. She smiled brightly at Mirajane and the girls following in behind her.

"Can I get you a table, ladies?" she asked them sweetly.

"They're here to apply, Wendy. This is Levy and Lucy," Mirajane told her, pointing to each girl as she said their name.

"If it's okay, we wouldn't mind eating here after the interview," Levy told her.

"Oh, of course!" Wendy said warmly. "You'll love the food here," she assured them with a smile that touched her brown eyes.

They continued to follow Mirajane past the host stand, waving to Wendy as they went.

There was a line of booths behind the reception area with dark blue seats that nearly matched Wendy's hair. Only a few of them were occupied with guests, eating late lunches or early dinners, depending on who you asked. A handsome man with dark blue eyes and black spiky hair stood at one of the tables holding a notepad and jotting into it as the couple told him their order. His smile was a light one, but still friendly. Levy took note of his casual uniform, consisting of a navy blue tee with the restaurants name printed on the right breast that was tucked into dark wash jeans that were only a shade darker than his shirt. A strange feathery looking symbol donned the back of the shirt. A small black apron was tied around his waist, hanging slightly off his hips.

Levy and Lucy both smiled to themselves remembering the stuffy slacks and tight button up shirts they'd had to wear at their previous job. Levy looked over Mirajane too, who wore the same shirt but in maroon instead of navy with a pair of dark jean shorts. She lacked the apron though.

"The uniform shirts come in several colors, so we probably have your favorite," Mirajane said with a smile, noticing the girls looking, as they turned a corner towards the open kitchen, only separated from the dining area by a large glass pane. Only one man seemed to be running the kitchen at the time. He was about the same height and build as the waiter they saw before, but with pink spiky hair sticking out from under his chef's hat and a cheerful smile on his face as he bustled about the kitchen.

"Wow, the kitchen is really nice," Lucy commented, as she gave the cute chef a once over.

"Open kitchens are popular these days, but we've had it like this since we first opened fifty years ago," Mirajane explained.

"Wow, you've been open that long?" Levy asked with interest. Mirajane nodded with a smile.

"We remodeled just a couple years ago. That's why everything looks so new," she explained. "Sit, wait here. I'll go get the owner," she told them, waving towards a booth right next to the kitchen.

"Do you want waters while you wait for him?" she asked. The girls both nodded, and with that Mirajane rounded the corner.

"This is perfect!" Lucy squealed in a whisper as her and Levy sat next to each other in the booth so that their interviewer would be able to sit across from them.

"Yeah! It's really close to home," Levy agreed, "And the place is so cute!"

"Here you are, girls," Mirajane said coming back around the corner, setting napkins down first and then placing their waters on top of them, "Makarov will be with you shortly." The girls sipped their waters to refresh themselves in silence as they waited patiently. It wasn't long before a short, elderly man rounded the corner with a balding head but a bright smile as he looked them over. He had wisps of white hair growing only on the sides of his head. A white bushy mustache adorned him as if to make up for the lack of hair on his head. His eyes were dark but friendly. They returned his smile as he sat in the booth across from them.

"Hello, girls, it's nice to meet you. My name is Makarov Dreyar, the owner and manager of Fairy Tail Bistro," he introduced himself, "What are your names?" Lucy pipped up first.

"I'm Lucy Heartfilia," she said, returning his friendly smile. Levy mirrored her, introducing herself as well.

"Why don't we start by you telling me about yourselves first, and then I'll tell you more about the bistro, hm?" he suggested, his smile never faltering. Levy started first this time.

"We just moved here from Onibus Town last week. We'll be attending Magnolia University in a few weeks," she began.

"Ah, youngsters trying to make it in the big city, huh?" he commented, and Lucy and Levy nodded.

"We had visited Magnolia City a few times with our parents, and just loved it here," Lucy explained.

"We worked at a restaurant back home for the last two years," Levy then told him. Makarov gave an approving nod.

"And we graduated last year with honors," Lucy added, "We'll have classes through the week, so we're looking to work part time."

"That will be just fine. Most of the youngsters here are in school, too. Little Wendy up at the door is still in high school actually, so that shouldn't be a problem," Makarov told them.

"At this other restaurant, what was your job there?" he asked.

"We were servers," Levy began. "We started when we were sixteen as hosts, but moved up within six months since we proved ourselves responsible and qualified," she boasted.

"Servers at only sixteen?" Makarov seemed skeptical, "Most are eighteen before they are able because of alcohol laws." He crossed his arms over his chest, turning a bit more serious.

"It was a twenty-four hour diner that mostly served breakfast items," Lucy explained.

"So there was no alcohol to serve," Levy added.

"Well, we do serve it here," he said, nodding his head towards their bar. "Do you know the laws on serving minors?" he questioned, to which the girls nodded.

"Yes, we know to check ids for those who appear under the age of thirty," Levy assured him. He unfolded his arms from his chest and began to brush his fingers through his mustache thoughtfully.

"How large were your sections at the diner?" he then asked.

"Five, sometimes six tables," Lucy answered simply. Makarov continued to brush his mustache for a few moments, making the girls nervous.

"Well you seem perfectly experienced," he finally said, after a few more questions. The girls gave sighs of relief and smiled back with a touch of laughter.

"You both seem like nice girls, I'm going to give you the job," he grinned. The girls gasped happily and clapped their hands together.

"Thank you!" they said in near unison.

"Let me tell you a bit about the place," he then said, holding up his finger.

"My good friend opened Fairy Tail Bistro fifty years ago. Sadly, my dear Mavis is no longer with us, but I had been her business partner since the beginning and kept the place going in her stead," he started.

"I run a tight, clean ship, and I expect everyone to pull their weight," he told them, to which they nodded with serious expressions.

"We're open from eleven in the morning till ten at night Monday through Thursday, and close at eleven on Friday and Saturday. We're closed on Sundays," he explained, which brought sparkles of delight to the girls' eyes. Having Sundays off was a huge bonus.

He told them to wait and brought back several forms for them to fill out so he could get them into the computer system.

"Can you start training tomorrow?" he asked, and they both gave excited nods. It was perfect since they wanted to be acclimated in their new job before school began.

"Excellent. I'll have Erza work out a training schedule tonight. Mirajane will do a class with you about the food and protocol. Erza will set you up in the evening with servers to follow so you can get some hands on training," he explained, "Be here tomorrow at three for the class. Give Mirajane that paperwork before you leave."

"Yes, sir," the girls said together and giving him a salute. The old man chuckled.

"Welcome to Fairy Tail Bistro, ladies," he said before walking away towards the kitchen. The girls gathered up the paperwork and headed to the front of the restaurant so they could ask Wendy for a table so they could eat while they filled out their information.

Mirajane called them over to the bar before they could talk to the small hostess. She set down the wine glasses she was polishing as the girls came over to her.

"How'd it go?" she asked with excitement.

"We got the job!" Lucy squealed. "We start tomorrow," Levy explained happily.

"Awesome! Welcome to the team, girls!" Mirajane said with a small bounce. "We've been a little under staffed the last few weeks and it's made everyone a little grumpy," she confessed, "With you two here things should get back to normal." The girls gave small smiles in return.

"We're excited to get started," Lucy told her.

"Did you two want to eat? You can sit here with me at the bar, or you can see Wendy if you prefer a booth," she suggested. The girls shrugged, not having a preference, and sat down at the bar with the perky blonde. Levy removed her blazer once more, hanging it over the back of the chair, happy to have her arms bare, as Lucy loosened her dress shirt a button and rolled up her sleeves a bit as well.

"What do you want to drink, girls?" she asked as she handed them menus, "You aren't in uniform just yet so you're welcome to the cocktails," she told them with a wink.

"Sure, why not?" Lucy said with a grin.

Levy agreed, ordering their favorite drinks. They weren't experienced drinkers, only having turned eighteen over the summer, but both liked sweet drinks that weren't too harsh.

They looked over the menus as Mirajane prepared their drinks. They found it filled with a variety of salads and gourmet sandwiches, along with some pizzas, pasta dishes, and steaks.

"Decide on what to eat?" Mirajane asked after bringing their drinks.

"Wow, there's a lot that sounds good," Levy said, a little overwhelmed. Lucy nodded in agreement.

"Well, you can't really make a wrong choice. What are you in the mood for?" the pretty barkeep asked.

"I'm thinking a sandwich," Lucy told her, and Levy answered with the same.

"My favorites are the French dip and the goat cheese panini, if that helps," she suggested. The girls looked over the descriptions of Mirajane's choices and decided to get one of each so they could share and try both.

"Excellent," Mirajane said and punched their order into the computer next to her, sending a ticket to the man in the kitchen. The girls worked on their paperwork as they waited for their meal, as Mirajane went back to straightening up her bar before the dinner rush could begin.

Once they finished, they handed the papers to Mirajane as Makarov had told them and she took them to the back. While she was gone, the server they saw early walked up to them with a crooked smile.

"So you two were just hired, huh?" he asked, the girls gave their own smiles and nodded.

"I'm Gray," he introduced himself, and offered his hand to Levy first, who told him her name. He released her hand before extending it to Lucy next, his eyes far more fixed on the blonde than the blunette.

"Lucy," she said, taking his hand.

"It's nice to meet you, Lucy," he said, his hand lingering on hers, causing a blush to rise to her cheeks.

"GRAY-SAMA!" a load shriek erupted from the back of the restaurant. Lucy pulled her hand from Gray's as the girls turned towards the hall the led from the bar to the kitchen. Standing in the archway was a voluptuous girl with blue hair cropped in a short bob and dark blue eyes that were currently seething with jealousy. She wore a baby blue version of the Fairy Tail Bistro tee and dark skinny jeans that showed off the curves of her hips, the short black apron covering her lap.

"Uh, who's that?" Lucy asked nervously.

Gray cleared his throat audibly.

"That's Juvia, she's another server here," he said as he scratched the back of his head. The girl started to make her way towards them.

"Whoops, gotta go, uh, check on my tables!" he blurted before bolting back towards the dining area. Levy and Lucy exchanged nervous looks as Juvia stopped in her tracks and started the other way towards where Gray went.

"Looks like you've met Juvia and Gray," Mirajane said with a chuckle as she returned to the bar.

"Um, what's up with them?" Levy asked.

"Juvia has been head over heels for him since she started working here," Mirajane explained. Lucy made a nod of understanding.

"I'm not sure if Gray likes her back though, he seems to avoid her mostly," she continued, "But that doesn't stop Juvia from getting jealous when he talks to other girls."

"Ah, that explains it," Lucy said with a giggle.

"What color shirts do you girls want?" Mirajane asked them.

"Do you have pink?" Lucy asked, to which she received a nod.

"Orange?" Levy asked. Another nod. The girls both smiled.

"Let's see, extra small for you," she said, pointing towards Levy. "And probably a medium for you on account of that bust," she said to Lucy with a wink. Both girls flushed pink as they folded their arms over their chests for opposite reasons.

Mira brought them two shirts each, which of course were the right sizes, and not long after brought their sandwiches, which were delicious. The girls ordered another round of drinks as they enjoyed their meal and began to unwind again. The dinner crowd was beginning to arrive as they ate, as well as more of their soon to be coworkers. Mirajane introduced them to Cana, another busty barkeep with pretty brown hair and sun kissed skin, who was working the cocktail area that night.

Levy was feeling slightly tipsy after just two of Mira's strong cocktails and was giddily swinging her legs lightly from her perch on the high bar stool, her feet not quite reaching the bar between the chair's legs.

"I'll be right back, Lu-chan. Gotta go to the lady's room," she told her friend before jumping down from the chair. She wobbled slightly, much to Lucy's amusement.

"Just don't get lost, drunky," Lucy teased, and received Levy's tongue stuck out at her for it. Mirajane laughed at their antics before telling Levy the direction to the restrooms, which were on the other side of the restaurant. She happily walked through the dining room towards the back as people enjoyed their meals at the tables and servers bustled around her. She was so enraptured in her happiness that she didn't notice she was walking behind a busser as he finished clearing a table.

He lifted his bus tub full of dishes and stepped back just in time to slam right into Levy, knocking her off her equilibrium and sending her flat on her butt.

"Watch it, shrimp," a gruff, deep voice said. She looked up to see a dark figure towering over her. Levy's heart raced, taking in his piercings, jet black hair, and menacing red eyes that were glaring down at her. She shook her head and glared up at him right back as she got back on her feet, coming up to only his chest, but glaring all the same.

"You don't have to be so rude!" she exclaimed, standing her ground and refusing to let him intimidate her.

"Ho, oh, Shorty's got spunk," he chuckled at her, his glare turning into a cocky grin, which only fueled Levy's anger more.

"Gajeel!" Levy turned to see Mirajane. The blonde's cheerful demeanor had vanished and had turned dark as she shoved her finger into the tall, muscled man's chest.

"Don't talk to people like that!" she scolded him, as if not for the first time. He grunted in response.

"Boss already said she's gonna work here, not like she was a customer or something," he growled out with a roll of his eyes. Mirajane's eyes narrowed at him.

"It doesn't matter! Mind your manners, or else," Mirajane pushed the sharp spiraled wine key in her other hand under his chin, causing him to gulp audibly. Levy shivered at the 'or else.' Who knew the seemingly peppy woman could be so scary? Gajeel backed off then, growling to himself as he walked off with the bus tub towards the kitchen. Mira's soft demeanor returned as soon as he was gone.

"What's his problem?" Levy asked sourly as she watched him walk away.

"Don't take it personal, he's always had an attitude problem. He's not so bad once you get to know him," Mirajane told her as she watched him disappear around a corner.

"Bathroom is just around that corner there," Mira told her pointing. Levy blinked rapidly, nearly forgetting why she'd gotten up in the first place.

"Oh, right! Thanks, Mirajane," she said and waved to the white haired woman before rushing off to the restroom.

She found her way back to Lucy and caught Cana sneaking a shot of liquor while Mira was away. She winked at her new coworkers and held her finger over her lips. The girls giggled nervously and shrugged.

"I think we're going to have some really interesting coworkers," Lucy said.

"You don't know the half of it," Levy replied.


	2. Training

Chapter 2

Lucy and Levy arrived for their first day ten minutes early, coming through the side employee door as they'd been instructed. Levy wore dark blue jean shorts that hugged her plump rear and showed off toned legs. Her apron slung low on her hips and fell longer than the shorts did. No show socks were hidden inside her black, non-skid sneakers. Her orange Fairy Tail Bistro shirt was form fitting and complemented her skin tone and blue locks. Her hair wasn't really long enough for a ponytail, especially with the layers, but a red ribbon kept her wavy mane from her face and, hopefully, out of people's food.

Lucy had pulled her long yellow hair up into a single pigtail on the left side of her head and tied it off with a baby blue ribbon. Her hot pink shirt stretched with her ample bust and showed off the curve of her sides and taunt stomach. She wore dark shorts and black shoes similar to Levy's. Each girl had their own server book, notepad, and an array of multicolored pens tucked into their aprons.

The side door brought them to an area hidden behind the bar, an archway to their right leading into Mirajane and Cana's domain. A computer sat on the counter in the hall specifically for the employees to clock in and out. The girls punched in as Mirajane had showed them the day before. An archway at the end of the hall opened up to the kitchen, with the dining room to their right. Separating the kitchen was what was known as 'the line," a long stainless steal counter that came up to Levy's shoulders. Shelves were built into the side facing the girls, stocked with various items like wine bottles, jars of extra virgin olive oil, and refills of flavored syrups used for drinks. The side facing the kitchen was the prep line, containing all the ingredients for the dishes the chefs would need, all separated in metal containers, with coolers below them for items that needed to stay refrigerated. There were three chefs in the kitchen at this time as they cooked for the lunch crowd that was slowly beginning to disperse and would mostly be gone by three thirty.

"Hi, there!" They were greeted boistrously by the pink haired chef they'd seen the day before. He was currently standing in front of a large industrial gas range covered with five saute pans, each filled with different ingredients. He looked back at them over his shoulder as he held one pan by the handle, tossing it to mix the sauce, pasta, and mushrooms together.

"I'm Natsu!" he told them.

"HEY, FLAME BRAIN!" the girls heard Gray yell, and jumped slightly. Gray had started to pick up plates from the kitchen's deck, but tossed one back.

"WHAT DO YOU WANT, DROOPY EYES?" Natsu's smile for the girls vanished and was replaced with searing hatred towards Gray.

"This was supposed to have no onions, idiot! Read the damn tickets before you just start throwing things into the fire!" he yelled at his coworker.

"Ring in the order right and it'll get made right, dumb ass!" Natsu growled back.

"I did ring it in right, stupid!" Gray argued.

"Gray!" Cana suddenly said from behind Levy and Lucy, a box of beer under one arm, "Keep your shirt on!" Gray's angry face blinked and turned soft again as he looked down and realized he'd started pulling his shirt up. Lucy and Levy's eyes bugged at the sight of his muscled abs and the V shaped dip of his hips.

Gray blushed and quickly tucked his shirt back into his jeans.

"Just make it again," he then slurred at Natsu, "NO ONIONS!" And with that, he grabbed a group of plates from the deck and stomped off towards his tables on the other side of the restaurant. Luckily this side of the dinning room was empty, and no guests could hear the confrontation. The other side, where most of the booths were, was full however.

"What on earth have we gotten ourselves into?" Lucy said chuckling.

"Those two are always like that," Cana said, shifting the beer in her arm, "Don't let them fool you though. They act like they hate each other, but they're really best friends." She winked at the girls and carried the beer towards the bar.

"WHAT?!" Natsu shouted, "I am NOT friends with that ice prick!" he shouted after Cana who ignored him as she sashayed off. Levy and Lucy erupted into laughter.

"Hi, girls!" Mirajane greeted then.

"Afternoon, Mira!" The girls replied.

"Come on, I'll show you around before we get started on the class," she told them and beckoned them to follow her down the line. Past Natsu's saute station was a brick oven and a grill station; a middle aged man with dark purple hair and mustache was tossing pizza dough in the air to round it out. He gave the girls a friendly smile and nod. Towards the end of the line was one more station where another middle aged man with brown hair was putting sandwiches together.

"So we have three cook stations," Mira explained. "Saute, Pizza Grill, and pantry. All the pastas will come from saute. Pizzas, obviously, steaks, and the like will come from Pizza Grill. And sandwiches, salads, and desserts will come from Pantry. So look for your foods at their respective stations. At night when it's busier, we have an expo to organize all the food and tickets and a food runner to help take it all out. The servers rotate being expo and food runner, so you'll sometimes have to do those jobs too. As expo you'll make an hourly wage, but food runners get tip share," she said giving them the run down of the kitchen.

"Levy, you will train with the expo tonight to help you learn the food. Lucy will do the same tomorrow," she told them. As they reached the end of the line, there was a space along the right wall hidden from the guests for everyone to grab soft drinks. It was stocked with an ice bin, soda fountain, two tea urns, one labeled 'sweet,' a urn full of yellow lemonade, and an array of different flavored syrups. Below was a small cooler where Mirajane showed them was milk, juices, and chocolate syrup. To the left of all the beverages were stacks of racks full of clean glasses.

"We do flavored 'Italian' sodas," Mira told them, doing air quotes when she said Italian, "But really it's just soda water with two pumps of syrup flavor. They taste good though. My favorite is the blackberry. People like the flavors in the tea, too. You'll get a lot of mint or peach teas, and strawberry lemonades too."

"Mint tea sounds really yummy," Levy commented happily.

"It's good to sell those too, because there's an extra charge for it. But we get free soft drinks while we're on the clock, so help yourself whenever you're working. Use the to go cups there and just write your name on it so it doesn't get mixed up. As you can see, you can set them around that computer there," she explained, pointing to the computer station next to the beverage area, Styrofoam cups littering the area around the computer.

Along the back wall was a large dishwasher, and well, a large dishwasher. An over weight man with black hair and a soft tan was rinsing plates and loading them into a rack to send through the machine. In front of him was a stainless steal table stacked with dirty plates. A large bin held silverware and there was a large trash can where the servers scraped off the plates before stacking them. There was a rack above the table full of dirty glasses.

"That's Droy," Mirajane told them, pointing to the heavy set man, "When the glass racks get completely full like this one is," she said, gripping the base of a full rack of glasses, "Yell 'Glasses!" After she yelled, Droy turned towards her. She lifted one side of the glass rack and tipped it over a steal bar so that Droy could grab the other side. He slid it towards himself and then pushed it into the dishwasher before continuing to rinse off plates.

"The manager's office is there," Mira pointed to the door on their left, "And back that way is the prep and walk in fridge and freezer. If you run out of milk up here, you'll find it back there. The juices and chocolate syrup don't need refrigerated until you open them so they're stocked on the line shelves."

Mira lead them back to the bar and showed them where they'd pick up drinks when they're guests ordered cocktails and then took them to one of the computers to show them how to ring things in.

"It'll take a little time to get used to, but everything is organized pretty well," she said, showing them how the system had the items listed under types, like sandwiches, salads, grill, and saute.

"There's lots of modifier buttons once you press an item," she told them, clicking on a random food item and showing how the system then listed all it's ingredients, plus sub categories for if a guest wanted to add a different ingredient that it didn't already include.

"Seems simple enough," Lucy commented, "We had a similar set up at our old job." The girls felt confident that they would be fast learners.

After Mirajane finished going over the basics, she led them to the restaurant's private dining room towards the back near the restrooms. The room was reserved for private parties and could seat up to fifteen guests. She gave them each booklets with all the menu items that had more detail descriptions of each. The girls got the chance to try some of the items too, and were told to pick a few things to share and taste.

It wasn't long before Natsu himself brought out the dishes they chose since the lunch rush had died down. He placed them all in the center of the table since the girls were sharing.

"Eat up! I made it all myself, so you know it's good!" he said with a confident smile before returning to the kitchen. Levy couldn't help but notice they way her best friend's gaze lingered after Natsu as he walked away. Lucy turned back to the table to find both Levy and Mirajane smirking at her. Her cheeks immediately flushed, but she ignored them and lifted her fork, digging into the food.

The girls tried the assorted dishes and Mirajane went over their flavor profiles, telling them good ways to describe the food to the guests. The girls found that Fairy Tail Bistro was more about quality as apposed to quantity like the diner they'd worked in before. They wouldn't just be gophers grabbing the things people asked for. They were expected to make suggestions, and answer any guest questions. They were meant to up sell appetizers, alcohol, and desserts as well. The booklets Mirajane had given them were meant to be taken home and studied, as well as the wine and cocktail lists.

"I know it's a lot of information, but we don't expect you to master it in a day," Mira assured them, "But we want you to be as knowledgeable as possible." If there was one thing that did not frighten Levy or Lucy, it was studying. Both girls had been exceptional students, and they didn't expect any trouble from the task.

"We try to stick to four table sections," she told them, "It's harder to spend as much time with each guest if you're running a five or six table section. Not to say that it never happens, but we understand if you have a harder time up selling when that happens." The girls both nodded their understanding, both confident and ready to get into the hands on training.

The class lasted till four o'clock, and they were given an hour break since the dinner rush wouldn't begin until then. After a restroom break, the girls decided to visit a few of the nearby shops since they were full from tasting the food. As they walked towards the door, they found a miniature version of Mirajane running the host stand instead of Wendy. She had white blonde hair just like the barkeep except that instead of the long waves she sported, the younger girl had it cropped short. Her face had similar features and her bright blue eyes were unmistakable.

"Are you Mirajane's sister?" Levy asked, knowing they had to be related some how. The young girl gave them a cute smile and a nod.

"Yes, I'm Lisanna, Mira-nee's baby sister," she introduced herself, and the girls did the same as they shook hands.

"I'm Elfman's little sister, too," she told them, but the girls gave blank stares.

"We haven't met him just yet," they informed her and she smiled.

"You will certainly know him when you see him," Lisanna promised with a laugh.

The girls went about their way after that, heading into the shops that dotted the street. After doing a little shopping they found another bistro with a patio, this one had blue and white umbrellas covering all the tables. Levy cocked her head as she noticed a tall man with dark messy hair held back at the base of his neck with a rubber band who was clearing off plates and glasses from the tables. Her eyes widened as he turned, revealing his piercings and deep red eyes.

"Hey that's Gajeel," she said in nearly a whisper, causing Lucy to turn her gaze towards him.

"Hmm? You mean the busser from last night? I thought you said he worked with us?" Lucy asked in confusion.

"He does, or did last night anyway," Levy said, furrowing her brow as they stepped closer to the enclosed area where he was working.

"Talk about rough around the edges," Lucy whispered, and then turned to see her friend's expression. A grin spread to Lucy's lips.

"He's pretty hot though, in that bad boy way," she said, elbowing Levy's side, breaking her trance. Levy blinked rapidly and scoffed at her friend, cheeks tinging pink.

"What?" Levy blurted, "As if."

"What're you starin' at?" his gruff voice called out, turning his gaze towards them, which lightened as he noticed Levy.

"Well, hey there, short stuff," he said, cocking his head slightly as he smirked. Levy glared at his arrogance, growing immediately agitated.

"Would you quit calling me short!" she scolded, folding her arms over her chest, but that only seemed to make him chuckle.

"Sure thing, Shrimp," he mocked. Levy's fists clenched as her cheeks puffed up in annoyance.

"I thought you worked at Fairy Tail?" Lucy asked, changing the subject. Gajeel grunted at the blonde.

"I do. And I also work here. Got a problem with it?" he said with a sneer, causing Lucy to hold up her hands in a defensive stance.

"Course not," Lucy said with a nervous laugh under Gajeel's intimidating stare.

"She just asked you a question, you don't have to be such a rude ass!" Levy said, glaring right back at him. His fierce gaze landed back to her. He was about to say something else when Lucy grabbed Levy's arm and started pulling her away.

"Come on, Levy, we gotta be getting back to work anyway," Lucy said, pulling her friend away from the confrontation.

"See you later, Shrimp," Gajeel called out, making Levy grimace as she allowed Lucy to pull her away.

"We're going to have to work with him, Levy. It's probably best not to get into a pissing match with him," Lucy warned as the girls reentered Fairy Tail Bistro.

"Yeah, yeah. I don't know why I let him get under my skin," Levy replied, her temper beginning to subside. Lucy quirked a smirk, knowing full well how Gajeel was getting under Levy's skin, even if Levy didn't fully understand herself, but Lucy said nothing of it. She'd let her friend figure it out herself.

"Let who get under your skin?" Cana asked as she reached for her purse from the cabinets in the hallway near the employee door.

"Gajeel," Lucy answered, "We ran into him down the street at his other job."

"Ah," Cana nodded, "Yeah it's a shame that stud has such a bad attitude."

"It's not really surprising though. I'd have a shitty attitude too if I was on probation," Cana said with a shrug. Levy and Lucy exchanged looks at that.

"Uh, probation?" Levy asked.

"Yeah, boy was a in a bad way a few years ago. His dad abandoned him and he got into gang stuff, ya know? Well, he got arrested and wouldn't rat on his comrades. The prosecutor really wanted to throw the book at him, but the judge went easy, giving him four years on probation instead of jail time," Cana explained the story.

"Wow," was all Levy could say, stunned. She felt sudden sympathy for him. She couldn't imagine what it would be like if her parents abandoned her.

"How do you know about it, Cana?" Lucy asked, the slightly older woman grinning at them.

"I may or may not have eaves dropped on him and Makarov talking," she whispered.

"But he's trying to keep on the straight and narrow now. That's why he does both jobs. Can't get into much trouble if you work all the time," Cana said as she headed for the door.

"Later girls," Cana said as she opened the door to head out.

"I guess that's good he's trying to better himself," Levy said sourly. Lucy nodded agreement and smiled down to her friend.

"It still doesn't make him less of an ass though," Levy said, noticing Lucy's glance, and stomped off in search of Mirajane.

"Welcome back, girls," the white haired woman greeted them. Next to her stood a beautiful woman with long scarlet red hair that she had pulled back in a braid, with only a few strands framing her face. Her uniform shirt was a dark gray.

She was the most intimidating person the girls had ever seen.

Her dark eyes scanned the girls skeptically, her expression harsh and arms folded over her ample chest.

"This is Erza," Mirajane said cheerfully, "She's our lead server."

"I expect perfection," Erza warned, making the girls begin to sweat.

"Levy!" the flame haired woman then barked, making both girls jump. Levy sheepishly raised her hand in acknowledgment.

"You will train on expo with Bisca tonight. You'll find her on the line," Erza told her sternly, "Dismissed!" Levy straightened her self and gave a small bow.

"Yes, ma'am!" she blurted before running off towards the kitchen.

"Lucy!" Erza barked again, causing the girl to jump once more, "You are following me through this evening's dinner shift. You will stay behind me and observe. You will follow orders without exception." Lucy gulped.

"Yes, ma'am!" Lucy replied and gave a salute.

"Well, I'm off then," Mirajane said, "Good luck, tonight." She waved her goodbye and headed for the employee door to go home for the night. Lucy shivered at the idea of being alone with the scary woman in front of her.

"Come!" Erza demanded, and Lucy followed.

Within an hour, Lucy was being run ragged by the strict lead server. Erza assured her that hands on was the best way to learn and so sent the girl on various errands.

"Get the drinks for that table!" Erza would command.

"Run that food!"

"Get silverware for that table!"

"Stock clean glasses!" Erza would command and Lucy would do as told.

"Go to the bar and grab their cocktails!" Erza ordered.

"Aye!" Lucy said, and quickly made her way to the bar. As she rounded the corner, safely out of Erza's sight, she let out a breathless sigh. She was sweating more than if she'd run a marathon.

"Erza trying to kill you?" she heard a velvety voice ask her. She looked up at the night's bartender and immediately blushed. He was boyishly handsome with soft looking orange hair. Blue tinted glasses framed his eyes, but Lucy caught a glimpse of their hazel color before he pushed the glasses back up his face. By far his best feature was his smile, which threatened to buckle Lucy's knees.

"Uh," Lucy stuttered. She blinked rapidly and tried to will away the flush in her cheeks.

"Um, yeah, she's really strict," she finally said, returning his smile with one of her own.

"More like down right frightening," he chuckled, his glasses slipping down his slightly upturned nose again. He bit his bottom lip briefly as he pushed them up once again, making Lucy's heart hammer. How was it possible for a single restaurant to have so many handsome men working in it!?

"Better get those drinks to her," he said with a wink. Lucy gasped, realizing she'd let him distract her. She grabbed one of the drink trays and set the two martinis on it and turned quickly to head back to Erza, but it was too late. As soon as she turned, her heart all but stopped as she saw Erza standing in the archway glaring daggers at her.

"LUCY! STAY FOCUSED!" she scolded. Lucy cringed.

"Yes, ma'am!" she stammered.

"LOKE! DON'T DISTRACT MY TRAINEE!" Erza's anger turning to the barkeep, who gave her an innocent smile before she turned to exit the bar. Lucy hurriedly followed, but not before hearing Loke call out to her.

"Nice to meet you, Lucy," he said smoothly, returning the smile to Lucy's face as she headed back into the dinning room.

Both girls were exhausted by the time they punched out at the end of the night. Levy's head was reeling from trying to remember each dish and table number as she ran food with the green haired Bisca all evening. Lucy was a bit worse for wears, having been run ragged by Erza all evening. Lucy was relieved that she would be on expo the next day, away from Erza's commands.

"Have a wonderful night, Lucy," Loke said from the archway that led from the bar into the hallway. She felt her cheeks turn pink as she turned to see his smile as he casually leaned against the frame with one hand in his jean pocket.

"Go- goodnight, Loke," she stammered, attempting to will her heart to steady. The girls exited through the door and Levy immediately started giggling at her friend.

"What. Was. That?" Levy asked her through her grin.

"Oh hush!" Lucy said, giving Levy a light shove.

"Don't set your sights on that one," Levy warned, "Bisca said he's a bit of a playboy." Lucy pouted briefly, but then smirked.

"Well, doesn't hurt to look," Lucy said with a shrug, making Levy giggle as they boarded the train home.


	3. Eclipse

Chapter 3

The girls finished their training in time to start their first official server shifts that Saturday night. They'd been given a certification shift the night before, the two of them sharing a four table section while Erza supervised, but tonight the training wheels were coming off. Each girl was excited to finally be making some cash instead of standard minimum wage for training.

The girls walked up to the host stand together after clocking in to see where their sections would be.

"Hey, Levy. Hi, Lucy," Wendy greeted them. Lisanna stood beside her, both girls smiling as they set up their rotation and floor chart for the night based off the day's roster.

"Let's see, Levy you've got the section over here. Freed is in the section next to yours so if you need any help or have any questions ask him," Lisanna told the blunette, pointing to the floor chart. Levy smiled and nodded. She'd met Freed earlier in the week. He was reserved and respectful, probably the most of everyone who worked there, and she'd soon learned that he had a love for literature that rivaled her own. The two had instantly hit it off. They promised to compare collections some day.

He also had gorgeous blue-green eyes and the cutest beauty mark under the left one. Not that Levy had noticed.

"Lucy, you're in the back corner on this side," Lisanna then said, showing the blonde her section.

"You're next to me," Gray said as he approached them, giving Lucy his signature sideways grin.

"If you need anything, just ask," he told Lucy and she gave him a confident smile.

"I should be good, but I'll let you know if I need anything," she told him.

"Are you two coming to Eclipse tonight?" he then asked as he casually leaned against the host stand, moving slightly closer to the blonde.

"Eclipse?" Lucy asked, looking up into Gray's handsome face.

"It's a nightclub," Wendy said sourly, "I'm not old enough to go yet." Lisanna and Gray chuckled.

"Your time will come, Wendy," Gray said, sweetly patting the younger girl on the head. Wendy crossed her arms over her chest and pouted.

"We don't go every Saturday, but when we do go out, it's our usual spot," Lisanna explained to Levy and Lucy.

"Well, are you inviting us then?" Lucy asked, turning back to Gray.

"Yeah, I guess I am," he said coolly.

"Then we'd be happy to come," Lucy told him, "We haven't gotten to get out on the town much since we moved here."

"Sounds good to me," Levy agreed with a smile.

"Cool. Most of us will be going, except for maybe Laki and Bisca since they're closing tonight. Depends on what time they're able to get out of here," Gray told them.

"What about the kitchen, do the guys back there usually go?" Lucy asked. Gray's smile faded at the question.

"Well, Macao and Wakaba are closing tonight, so probably not them, and Alzack won't come unless Bisca does. But Natsu will probably be there, unfortunately," he explained. Lucy and Levy giggled.

"Why do you guys hate each other?" Lucy asked with a smirk. Gray grunted and shrugged.

"Cuz he's an idiot," Gray said simply. Both girls shook their heads.

"Well, whatever. It sounds fun. We'll be there," Lucy assured him, bringing his smile back.

"Good," he said simply before walking away to make sure his section was ready for the dinner rush.

"Well, we'd better go check our sections too," Levy said and headed towards her tables to make sure salt and peppers were stocked and all the settings were in place. She hummed lightly as she busied herself while waiting for her first table.

Her smile brightened when Freed arrived and gave her a polite greeting along with returning to her the book she'd lent him the Thursday before. He also showed her another book, one from his own collection.

"I think you'll like this one," he told her, his voice soft and smooth, so unlike Gajeel's. She winced slightly, wondering why she was comparing the two, but shrugged it off as she thanked Freed for the book.

"I'll return it in a few days," she assured him as she reached out for it, but he held the book up just out of her reach teasingly.

"Only if you promise not to dog ear the pages," he said, glancing knowingly at the book she'd lent him. She blushed at that, knowing how harsh she was with her books.

Gajeel rounded the corner out of the dish pit with his now empty bus tub in hand. His red eyes caught sight of the tiny blunette's lean legs as she stood on tip toe, trying in vain to reach a book the pretty boy with green hair was holding just out of her reach. His eyes grazed up her lithe body. His chest tightened when he caught sight of the flush in her cheeks as she looked up at Freed.

"I promise!" she said, her arm still in the air reaching for the book. She heard a rough grunt behind her and turned to see Gajeel rolling his eyes as he passed them by. She realized she probably looked pretty foolish, reaching towards the book on tip toes. She dropped her arm and rested back on her heels, but immediately scolded herself for it. Why should she care what he thought?

Freed handed her the book then and she turned her attention back to him, pushing Gajeel from her mind and forced her smile back to her face.

"Thank you," she said sheepishly, "I'll take care of it. Promise." Freed only smiled.

"Good. Enjoy it," he told her before walking away. She felt heat in her cheeks as she watched him go. She quickly headed towards the server hallway so she could put the books in her messenger bag. When she returned to the dining room, she'd been seated with her first official table.

Gajeel grumbled to himself as he bused the dirty plates from a booth along the wall. He wasn't even entirely sure why he was angry all of a sudden. He'd started the day off in a well enough mood.

"More flies with honey," he blinked and stopped his grumbling to look over at the new blonde that was working there.

"What's that?" he grunted, quirking a pierced eyebrow.

"She'd look at you like that if you were nice to her," Lucy explained, having seen the way he looked at Levy with Freed. Gajeel scoffed and looked away, going back to his work.

"I don't know what the hell you're talking about, Bunny Girl," he said. He'd taken to calling her that after noticing how she bounces whenever something made her happy, which usually made the guys around her happy.

"Do you call anyone by their actual name?" she asked with a roll of her large brown eyes. He shook his head.

"Mira's the only one and that's just cuz she threatened to pull out my entrails if I ever called her Tits again," he said with a barking laugh. Lucy only rolled her eyes again and made a clicking sound of disapproval with her tongue.

"You would be that vulgar. Forget what I said. She'd never go for a guy like you," Lucy said before turning to walk away. Gajeel grunted again and glared at the back of her head. He lifted his bus tub in one hand and wiped down the wooden table with one of the disinfectant wipes he kept in his apron pocket with the other.

"Guy like me, huh?" he grumbled to himself, knowing all too well what girls like her thought about guys like him.

The busy Saturday night was a profitable one. The girls wrapped up their shifts around ten, leaving only the two closers on the floor to finish out the rest of the night. The girls walked out with Gray, Lisanna, and Natsu, who had finished their shifts as well.

"We're going to head home to change and then we'll meet you at Eclipse," Lucy said with a smile as the group gathered near the train station.

"Sounds good," Gray said.

"See you guys soon," Lucy waved as Natsu and Lisanna walked towards the east, Gray however got on the train with them.

"I live a few stops west, how 'bout you two?" he asked as they all packed onto the crowded deck to wait for the next train.

"We're just one over," Levy answered, scooting closer to her friends in the crowd. This was the most packed they'd seen it, but that was to be expected on a Saturday night.

When the train arrived, he helped the girls push through the throng of people. There was only one seat available when they finally boarded.

"You take it, Levy," Lucy told her, and she didn't press the issue. Levy had already figured out that she was too short to reach the hanging hand rails and didn't want to embarrass herself twice in one week trying to grab onto it. Gray and Lucy stood next to her seat holding onto the rail as the train took off.

"Do you want me to wait for you at your train stop so you don't have to ride into the city by yourselves?" Gray asked, hovering near the girls protectively.

"That would be really sweet of you, Gray," Lucy said, "But only if it's not an inconvenience."

"Of course not. I'll have to ride back this way anyway," he said with that cool smile that made Lucy shiver. Levy smirked at the buxom blonde. She hadn't yet deciphered her friend's feelings just yet, but she knew there were three guys they were now working with that had Lucy smitten. It was only a matter of time to see which one pulled ahead.

Gray was quickly earning points.

"Will thirty minutes be long enough for you to get ready?" he asked them and the girls nodded.

As the train came to a halt, the girl standing next to Lucy didn't quite have her grip on the rail and stumbled back, knocking Lucy forward. Gray reacted quickly, grabbing her waist as she grabbed his arms to steady herself. Lucy tried not to blush, really she did, but the feel of his hands on her torso was too much.

"Are you alright?" he asked softly and she only gave a small nod, unsure of her voice. She pulled back from him abruptly, her face still flushed crimson, but her smile had returned. Gray cleared his throat and Levy was sure she caught a slight blush on his cheeks too.

"See you in a half hour," he then waved as Levy grabbed Lucy by the arm and pulled her off the train and away from their handsome coworker. Once the train was moving again, Lucy seemed to regain her thought process and moved with Levy of her own accord.

"I saw that," Levy said as the girls walked the short way from the subway station to their apartment.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Lucy countered, and was suddenly reminded of her conversation with Gajeel earlier that day. She felt a warmth in her cheeks again as she realized how silly it was to deny it.

"Can you really blame me?" Lucy finally muttered as she dug the apartment key from her purse. Levy chuckled as the girls climbed the stairs to the second story.

"Don't suppose I can," Levy shrugged, unable to deny Gray's appeal.

Lucy hit the shower first, and was out in five minutes so Levy could hop in quickly as well. Neither washed their hair to avoid blow drying, but wanted to wash away the sweat and smell of food from running around the restaurant all evening.

"You ready, Lucy?" Levy called out as she looked herself over once more in the large mirror over her dresser. She'd tamed her wavy, shoulder-length blue locks as much as possible with a straightening iron and tied a fresh ribbon into it, this one white. She'd chosen a red dress with white trim that hugged her figure at the top and flared out at the waist, falling to the middle of her thighs, showing off supple legs. The top was a halter, tying around her slender neck, leaving her back mostly bare. The neckline dipped low, showing a touch of her small rounded breasts.

"Yep! All set," Lucy called from the living room. Levy emerged from her room and pouted as she felt a rush of jealousy. Lucy's blue dress hugged her in all the right places, her large breasts all but spilling out of the strapless dress. Her blonde hair fell perfectly straight to her shoulders, framing her heart-shaped face. Blue ribbon laced up the back of the tight dress, giving peaks and glimpses of milky skin.

"Would you put those things away!" Levy teased pointing at Lucy's ample chest. Lucy blushed and pouted at her friend.

"I can't help how big they are!" she defended as she pulled on a short white cardigan that covered her shoulders, the sleeves cutting off at her elbows. Levy grabbed her own cardigan as the girls headed out the door, locking it behind them.

They ran as fast as they could in heels back to the subway station to meet up with Gray. They found him on the deck leaning casually against a support beam. Lucy's heart jumped into her throat as her eyes drank him in. He wore a white trench coat with black trim, his hands stuffed into the pockets, and a tight black v-neck. He'd traded in his dark jeans for a pair of light wash ones with holes in the knees that tucked into black combat boots. A toothpick was tucked between his lips. Lucy had never been jealous of a toothpick before. He flashed her that casual smirk of his when he saw her.

"Good timing," he said, stepping away from the column and pulling the toothpick from his mouth as they heard the next train approaching.

"You both look great," he complimented them, but Levy knew he'd only included her to be polite. His eyes were all for Lucy.

"You don't look so bad yourself," Lucy told him smoothly.

The subway was luckily less crowded this time around and the three were all able to get seats. The train was much more congested as they reached their destination, however, and they had to push their way off. They headed up the stairs and outside. Levy took in the view of the lights and skyscrapers towering above her, still in awe of it.

The girls followed Gray closely as they made their way through the crowded streets towards Lotus Tower, the third tallest high rise in the city, and the building that boasted Eclipse. The club took up the entirety of the sixtieth and sixty-first floors. Lotus Tower wasn't hard to spot since it took up an entire block and all the windows were lined with violet lights. The building had two entrances. The one facing north was the business side, with elevators that only went as high as the thirty-fifth floor where all of the office spaces were rented out by various businesses. The entrance facing south, however, was for the hotel and club, it's elevators skipped the floors below the thirty-sixth and reached all the way to the sixty-fifth. It was the perfect combination of business and pleasure.

"Some day, we'll live on this side of town, Levy-chan," Lucy said, breathing in all the excitement of the big city on a Saturday night. Levy smiled wide and agreed.

"You'll have to do better than waiting tables if that's what you want," Gray chuckled.

"Well, yeah! We don't plan on doing it forever. Why else would we be going to college?" Levy countered.

"Aren't you going to school, too?" Lucy asked as they waited for the crosswalk to turn green to signal safe crossing.

"Yep," he answered, side eyeing Lucy, "I go to the community college."

"What's your major?" Lucy asked as they crossed the street, the girls following Gray.

"Business," he answered simply, "I want to own my own store some day." Lucy would have pressed him for more of the big picture, but the crosswalk signal changed and they began moving again. They entered Lotus Tower once they'd crossed. The three of them boarded the elevators and Gray pressed the button with the number sixty on it.

When they reached the top, the elevator doors opened and muffled music poured into their ears from the other side of a black wall. Double glass doors covered in dark tint hid the excitement from them. In front of the tinted black doors on the left was a row of receptionists dressed in the latest fashions checking ids and taking the entrance fee. There was another set of double doors at the end on the right with two large men flanking them and signifying that it was an exit only.

The three of them payed their fee and Gray held the door open for the girls, the music pumping through them as they entered. With the exception of the reception area, the club was lined with floor length windows, showing the expanse of the city in three separate directions. The room was dimly lit, the bar to the left was glowing a soft blue, pulling your eye towards it and tempting you to spend your money. Small elevated tables dotted the room, and various couches lined the outer edges near the windows. Right next to the door were two spiral staircases that led up to the dance floor, music booming from above them.

"That's our group over there!" Gray yelled to the girls despite them being right next to him, the music from upstairs drowning him out.

"What?!" the two girls yelled over the loud music in unison. Gray laughed and then pointed towards a large couch in the corner that was littered with the staff of Fairy Tail Bistro.

"We're going to grab drinks first!" Lucy yelled as she learned towards him.

"What!?" he yelled back. The girls laughed as he leaned down so Lucy could talk into his ear.

"Drinks!" she said simply and pointed to the bar. He nodded and walked them over to the bar. Luckily there was a second one upstairs as well so it wasn't over crowded.

The roar of music was slightly dulled over here since the volume on the first floor speakers wasn't nearly as loud.

"What can I get you, ladies?" the young bartender asked, his eyes having difficulty leaving the sight of Lucy's bosom. Lucy ignored his eyes and simply ordered their drinks.

"Two lemon drop martinis," Lucy told him, and the bar tender nodded.

"With a sugar rim!" Levy blurted.

"Anything you want, Doll," he said turning towards Levy with a wink, flustering her.

"What about what I want?" Gray asked, annoyed that he'd been over looked. Though looking at the two ladies next to him, he couldn't really blame him.

"Oh, sorry. What can I get you?" the bartender asked.

"A double rum and coke, extra ice," he said. The barkeep nodded and went to make the drinks.

"Do you want to open a tab?" he asked as he returned with their cocktails, complete with sugar rims, and Gray's icy rum and coke. All three nodded, handing over their Ids to hold their tabs open so they could pay cash at the end of the night.

"If you order more drinks with one of the cocktail girls, just tell her the name on your tab and she'll keep track of it," he told them, to which they all nodded their understanding.

The three took their drinks to where their coworkers were hanging out together. Each corner of the room had a semicircle couch with a coffee table in front of it and lounge chairs on the other side. The staff of Fairy Tail Bistro had taken up one of those areas and were chatting and enjoying their drinks as Levy, Lucy, and Gray joined them.

Cana occupied one of the lounge chairs and the area in front of her was littered with the empty beer bottles she'd already accumulated, a half empty bottle occupied her hand as she greeted them. Evergreen and Elfman sat next to each other, but not too close, afraid to give away their feelings for each other despite everyone being aware except for the two of them. Laxus, the restaurant's lead chef sat with Mirajane, his arm draped over her shoulder lazily as he chatted with Freed, Evergreen, and Bickslow, another chef at the restaurant. Laxus had a reputation for being as strict with the kitchen staff as Erza was with the front of house, but here he could just be himself and not anyone's superior. Even Erza was surprisingly laid back in the current setting, smiling softly as she sipped at a strawberry daiquiri.

"There you are!" Natsu greeted them, jumping up from his seat on the end next to Lisanna. The boy cleaned up nicely. He wore a red button-up shirt with a black vest over it, his sleeves casually rolled up to his elbows, and black shorts that fell to just below his knees. Black and red skater shoes finished off the look nicely. Lucy and Levy couldn't help but smile back, his own happiness infectious.

"Gray-sama!" Juvia greeted loudly and hurried from her spot on the couch to Gray's side. He shifted awkwardly as she grabbed onto his arm possessively. She turned with a smile towards the girls, greeting them as well..

"Juvia is glad you could make it," she told them with a bright smile.

"Even if you are my love rival," she said, directing her eyes to the blonde. Lucy gulped and gave a nervous laugh.

"Let's go dance!" Natsu suggested boistrously, interrupting before Lucy could even think of a response.

"Chill, Pyro, we just got here. Let them enjoy their drinks first," Gray scolded him before taking a swig from his glass.

"I WASN'T TALKING TO YOU!" Natsu yelled at Gray.

"I promise, I'll dance in a little bit, Natsu," Lucy said, waving a hand at him, "But I'd like to finish my drink first." Natsu pouted but sat back down, Lisanna scooted closer to her older brother, making room for Lucy and Levy to sit on the couch with them. Gray took the other lounge chair next to an already very drunk Cana. Juvia stood beside Gray's chair, leaning against the back of it on her arm. Despite being the newbies, Levy and Lucy found it easy to chat and joke with their coworkers, even Erza and Laxus.

A scantily clad cocktail waitress wearing glow light jewelry came over when she noticed more people had arrived. She took down their names for their tabs and the group ordered another round of cocktails, having finished off their first.

Lucy took the final swig from her second drink before grabbing Natsu's hand.

"Okay, let's go dance!" she said with a smile, the alcohol loosening up her nerves. Levy and Lisanna polished off their own drinks, ready to hit the dance floor as well. The four of them headed towards the stairs as a few more of their coworkers were just arriving.

The music spilled from speakers all around them. Blue and purple lights gave off the only luminescence. Another glowy blue bar was to the left, the rest of the floor was covered in bodies moving to the music in the darkness. A dj booth was along the back wall, a few people huddled near by trying to make song requests. It was all nearly overwhelming for the small town girls. They didn't get the chance to gape for very long because their friends were pulling them toward the dance floor. Natsu grabbed Lucy's hand excitedly dragging her into the throng of people. He lifted her hand above them, spinning her around completely, before pulling her in closer, their bodies immediately finding the song's rhythm.

Levy and Lisanna happily danced together as well, their hips moving in sync with one another. Levy smiled as she watched her best friend laugh as she and Natsu moved together. A new song started up as the other one faded out. The girls all whooped happily, knowing and loving the new song that had begun to play. Levy's body was familiar with the rhythm, and she and Lisanna grew more bold, twining themselves closer together, bending their knees as they rocked their hips to the beat. Their provocative movements were drawing the attention of some of the guys dancing nearby.

Bickslow came up behind Lisanna then. Levy watched the tall, muscular man dip lower and began to dance with them as well. Lisanna looked up at him over her shoulder, an obvious tinge in her cheeks as she leaned back against him comfortably. Levy was a little surprised, never having imagined someone like Bickslow to be Lisanna's type, but she shrugged it off. Levy glanced over to see Lucy had turned around with Natsu pressed against her back as they moved together in a similar fashion as Lisanna and Bickslow. Lucy caught her friend's eye and blushed as Levy winked at her.

Levy laughed to herself a little before closing her eyes, letting the music fill her senses completely as she moved her body with the beat. A few moments later, she felt a hand grasping her own. She opened her eyes to see someone tall and handsome, with spiky dark blue hair, dark brown eyes, and a cocky smile. While she wasn't crazy about his seeming arrogance, she shrugged it off and let him dance with her. It was just dancing after all.

He'd kept a bit of space between them, only touching her hand as he moved with the music, pulling her across the dance floor. When the song died down and a new one began, she realized she'd some how been separated from her friends. She stopped dancing with the stranger to try to look for them, but the man suddenly grabbed her by the rear and pulled her flush against him as he continued to dance to the music. Levy pushed back against him, trying to pull free, but his grip held strong.

"Hey, get off!" she yelled. He chuckled as she struggled to pry his hands from her body. She twisted her head, trying find Lucy or her other coworkers, but they were no where to be seen. She let out an exasperated huff.

"I said get OFF!" she screamed and finally stomped her high heel into the top of the guy's foot. He wretched in pain, and shoved her back, howling.

"The fuck is wrong with you, bitch?" he spat angrily and then stepped towards her. Her heart hammered in her chest as his anger bubbled over. She turned, pushing into the dancers to find Lucy. She felt his hands grab her shoulders roughly and pull her back, wrapping his arms around her tightly.

"Where do you think you're going little one?" he said into her ear, making her cringe.

"Please, just leave me alone," she said, twisting in his grip to pull free, but he held her firmly against him with one arm, the other began tracing down her side, making her skin crawl

"Hey, asshole, she said leave her alone," a gruff voice said. Levy's eyes widened.

_I know that voice_. She thought as the stranger's grip on her loosened and she was able to pull free. She turned to see Gajeel starring at the man with menacing eyes, his strong arms crossed over his broad chest. The man straightened himself to his full height, a shade under Gajeel's, and tried not to look intimidated, but failed as he took a step back.

"Psht," he grunted, "She's not worth it. Too scrawny for my taste really anyway." He took a few more steps backward before turning around completely, pushing through the crowd away from the confrontation.

"What do you think you're doing over here by yourself?" Gajeel then snapped, catching Levy off guard. She blinked up at his angry face.

"Lucy and Natsu are with me. Or, they were," she started rambling to defend herself, "I don't know how I got separated." She wanted to snap back at him, but found herself too shaken up to muster any anger of her own. Gajeel rolled his eyes at her and grabbed her hand suddenly, pulling her through the crowd after him. Levy's cheeks flamed at the contact. Her hand almost felt like that of a child's pressed into his large one.

Gajeel had watched her climbing the stairs as he'd just been arriving. He'd been unable to keep his eyes off her in that damn red dress. He was angry at himself for following her up, knowing he'd never actually dance with her. He cared too much about his image for that, but he'd wanted to watch her. He'd regretted that too. She was far too tempting a thing, as her hips and rear had moved along with Lisanna's. He wished he could do as Bickslow had with Lisanna. Wished he could have just moved in behind her, felt her press herself against him, but he'd already ruined those chances by being the ass that he was.

He regretted talking to Laxus and Mirajane most of all. They'd come up stairs and found him at the bar. That was when he'd lost track of her and that pervert had moved in, some how pulling her away from her friends to seclude her. He wished he could've been there sooner. He refused to look at her as he pulled her through the crowded dance floor back towards where their coworkers were dancing. He couldn't look at her, not without doing more things he knew he'd regret.

"Levy! There you are!" Lucy gasped as Gajeel pulled her forward towards her friend, releasing her hand and folding his arms over his chest again. Lucy grabbed her friend by the shoulders and Levy immediately fell into a hug.

"Some perv pulled me away. I don't even know how," she mumbled to her friend as she pulled back from the embrace. Lucy immediately looked up at Gajeel with a scornful glare.

"Hey, it wasn't me!" he said defensively.

"Not him!" Levy said, shaking her head. "Gajeel ran saved me!" she blurted, her already pink cheeks turning a brighter crimson. He took a step back, wanting to rid himself of the whole ordeal.

"Wait, Gajeel," she started as she turned and looked up at him with those large chocolate eyes, full of gratitude. Gajeel's stern expression softened and his heart skipped a beat as he cursed himself inside his head.

"Thank you," she said meekly. He broke eye contact then, hating himself for being just as much of a pervert as that other guy had been. He just hadn't the gumption to do anything about it. He wasn't sure if that was worse or better.

"Whatever, Shorty. Didn't your parents teach you not to mess with strangers?" he scolded her. She looked down at her feet, embarrassed. Gajeel mentally scolded himself. Why the hell did he have to be such an ass to her?

"Just be careful. I might not be around next time," he said before huffing off back to his seat at the bar.

Damn, did he need another drink.


End file.
